Chapters (103)
- DEDICATION
- EPIGRAPH
- MAP
- PART ONE
- DEATH OF A PRINCESS
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
- 13
- 14
- 15
- 16
- 17
- 18
- 19
- 20
- 21
- 22
- 23
- 24
- 25
- 26
- 27
- PART TWO
- DEATH OF A SPY
- 28
- 29
- 30
- 31
- 32
- 33
- 34
- 35
- 36
- 37
- 38
- 39
- 40
- 41
- 42
- 43
- 44
- 45
- 46
- 47
- 48
- 49
- 50
- 51
- 52
- 53
- 54
- 55
- 56
- 57
- 58
- 59
- PART THREE
- BANDIT COUNTRY
- 60
- 61
- 62
- 63
- 64
- 65
- 66
- 67
- 68
- 69
- 70
- 71
- 72
- 73
- 74
- 75
- 76
- 77
- 78
- 79
- PART FOUR
- HOME
- 80
- 81
- 82
- 83
- 84
- 85
- AUTHOR’S NOTE
- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
- ABOUT THE AUTHOR
- ALSO BY DANIEL SILVA
- CREDITS
- COPYRIGHT
- ABOUT THE PUBLISHER
The don shrugged. Keller lifted the flap of the envelope and peered inside. It was packed with bundles of hundred-euro notes. He lowered the flap and pushed the envelope toward the center of the table.
“Here on Corsica,” the don said with a frown, “it is impolite to refuse a gift.”
“The gift isn’t necessary.”
“Take it, Christopher. You’ve earned it.”
“You’ve made me rich, Don Orsati, richer than I ever dreamed possible.”
“But?”
Keller sat silently.
“A closed mouth catches neither flies nor food,” said the don, quoting from his seemingly bottomless supply of Corsican proverbs.
“Your point?”
“Speak, Christopher. Tell me what’s bothering you.”
Keller was staring at the money, consciously avoiding the don’s gaze.
“Are you bored with your work?”
“It’s not that.”
“Maybe you should take a break. You could focus your energies on the legitimate side of the business. There’s plenty of money to be made there.”
“Olive oil isn’t the answer, Don Orsati.”
“So there is a problem.”
“I didn’t say that.”
“You didn’t have to.” The don regarded Keller carefully. “When you pull a tooth, Christopher, it will stop hurting.”
“Unless you have a bad dentist.”
“The only thing worse than a bad dentist is a bad companion.”
“It is better to be alone,” said Keller philosophically, “than to have bad companions.”
The don smiled. “You might have been born an Englishman, Christopher, but you have the soul of a Corsican.”
Keller stood. The don pushed the envelope across the tabletop.
“Are you sure you won’t stay for lunch?”
“I have plans.”
“Whatever they are,” the don said, “they’ll have to wait.”
“Why?”
“You have a visitor.”
Keller didn’t have to ask the visitor’s name. There were only a handful of people in the world who knew he was still alive, and only one who would dare to call on him unannounced.
“When did he arrive?”
“Last night,” answered the don.
“What does he want?”
“He wasn’t at liberty to say.” The don scrutinized Keller with the watchful eyes of a canine. “Is it my imagination,” he asked finally, “or has your mood suddenly improved?”
Keller departed without answering. Don Orsati watched him go. Then he looked down at the tabletop and swore softly. The Englishman had forgotten to take the envelope.